Books are more than a learning tool. When they tell stories of different races, abilities, cultures and ethnicities, they also foster positive self-esteem.
"We believe it's so important to provide kids with access to stories and characters that are authentic, so they can see themselves in the pages of the books that they love," said Alison Angell, vice president of partnerships with Scholastic.
The Scripps Howard Fund — a public charity established by the E.W. Scripps Co. distributes books to children in low-income neighborhoods, in partnership with Scholastic, through the "If You Give a Child a Book..." campaign.
Part of that mission is to offer diverse reading materials that nurture respect, empathy, and acceptance.
When children see themselves in the pages of a book, "they're more engaged, they achieve greater learning outcomes, and they are more empathetic to their classmates," Angell said.
"I love the diverse, rich print that we're currently seeing now," said Dr. LaKisha Wright, principal of Dunbar Elementary School in Atlanta.
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"When a student sees an image of themselves, whether it be about their height, their race, their sexuality," Wright said, "it increases their chances of reading more or learning more — changes their perspectives. And it shows that 'Hey, I'm worthy and valuable enough to be in print also.'"
Dunbar Elementary will be one of the recipients of this year's "If You Give a Child a Book..." campaign, which allows students to choose which books they take home to start their own home libraries.
According to Scholastic's Kids & Family Reading Report, most kids, 89%, say their favorite books are the ones they pick out themselves.
You can help a child build their home library now. A $12 donation provides two books for a child. Every dollar donated goes toward buying books for children in need. The campaign has distributed more than one million books and counting.
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